Caitríona Redmond: How to make my slow-cooker lamb-shank tacos
Lamb shank is a cut that requires plenty of slow cooking. Lamb can tolerate strong seasoning making it a great vehicle for introducing new flavours to picky eaters. By slow cooking the vegetables they take on a lovely soft texture, another bonus.
As the weather has started getting colder, the slow cooker has resumed its 24/7 pride of place on the kitchen countertop.
I do use it all year around, but it’s never put to as good use as in the autumn and winter.
The slow cooker can get a bit of bad press for churning out meals that are mushy and overcooked, but I am a huge fan of cooking low and slow.
Firstly, it’s one of the most energy efficient appliances in my kitchen, using around the same energy as a conventional lightbulb when it’s turned on.
I use a timer plug to make sure my main meal is ready at dinnertime and isn’t sitting in the cooker simmering away for too long.
There’s nothing wrong with soft food either, I believe that the issue that people have is the lack of bright flavours that you would generally associate with eating fresh-cooked meals. There are ways to get around this, though.
Slow cooker food can taste dull so boost the flavours with dried herbs, ground spices and of course salt.
One thing I’ve learned is that carbohydrates tend to suck the seasoning out of slow cooker meals. Nothing like a few handfuls of rice or pasta to turn a slow cooker meal into mushy stodge.
Instead, I like to cook my rice, pasta and potatoes separately. This guarantees a brighter tasting meal and better textures.
Textures in this house can be an issue at mealtimes, and it’s better to make sure that everyone will eat a family dinner, rather than having some of it go to waste.
Stewing beef in pieces take about 4 hours on high to become tender, whereas sliced chicken breasts take less than 3 hours and a housekeepers' cut of beef can take up to 8 hours.
Providing the meal in the cooker is vegetarian, and cut to small bite sized pieces, I will cook the contents for 2 hours.
Adding pulses to a protein in the slow cooker doubles up on its protein content, makes my meat stretch a little further, and increases the fibre content of meals.
I can’t always persuade my family to eat vegetarian meals, but I can encourage them to eat less meat this way.
We’ve reached this compromise after many years of trial and error. If you think about it, eating less meat 7 days a week could be more powerful than one meat-free day a week.
I always say at least 3 vegetables because in my opinion, you can never have enough vegetables at dinner time.
The new advice for better health is to eat more than 7 portions of fruit and vegetables a day. Cooking some of those low and slow and incorporating them into soups and stews can help.
I’m reliably informed that in the American lexicon, these bags are called “dump bags” but I prefer to call them meal prep bags.
For 30 minutes once a week I chop, cut, and assemble these meals in advance and then store them in the freezer.
The bags are a source of huge joy to me because they eliminate all doubt over what we are going to eat for dinner.
I simply grab the bag from the freezer the day before, then defrost it in the fridge overnight, decant into the slow cooker early in the morning and turn the dial to medium or high. Then, I reap the rewards at dinnertime.
Unlike classic meal preparation, the prep bags contain raw, uncooked ingredients. If I’m stuck for time,
I buy bags of frozen vegetables in the supermarket and use them in my recipes. Freezer vegetables will be broken down in the slow cooker anyway, and they will save me from chopping.
The receptacle, or large freezer bag, is washed in the sink and dried inside out on the draining board for use on another day. Nothing goes to waste.
Lamb shank is a cut that requires plenty of slow cooking. Lamb can tolerate strong seasoning making it a great vehicle for introducing new flavours to picky eaters. By slow cooking the vegetables they take on a lovely soft texture, another bonus. Servings Preparation Time Cooking Time Total Time Course Ingredients 2 lamb shanks 2 carrots, chopped 2 onions, chopped 4-5 cloves garlic, chopped 1 tin of chickpeas, drained 1 tsp each of chipotle chilli flakes, ground cumin, ground coriander, and paprika 1 tbsp cider vinegar 1 tin chopped tomatoes 250ml vegetable stock for the salsa: 1 red onion, finely diced 2 large tomatoes, grated 1 red pepper, finely diced Decent pinch of salt and pepper Juice 1 lime 1 handful coriander; finely dice the stalks and roughly chop the leaves Corn tortillas, to serve Method To prepare this meal in advance, add the slow cooker ingredients to a large freezer bag. Seal well. Freeze for up to 1 month. To cook decant the defrosted contents into a slow cooker, stir well, and switch to high for 8 hours. If cooking from fresh, add the slow cooker ingredients directly into a slow cooker and stir well. Set the cooker to high for 8 hours. This meal can also be cooked in a heavy baking pot with a lid in the oven on low (140°C) for approximately 6 hours until the meat is tender. Assemble the red onion, grated tomatoes, red pepper, seasoning, lime juice and plenty of coriander in a bowl about an hour before eating to allow the flavours to develop. Stir the salsa well and cover the bowl until you are ready to eat. To serve the meal, remove the lamb shanks and use a fork to break apart the meat from the bones and return the meat to the cooking broth. Stir then spoon the lamb broth into a bowl with toasted corn tortillas and salsa on the side.Lamb Shank Tacos
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